Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with bacterial contamination of livestock.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 20040115177, filed by Harris, et al., entitled “Probiotic compositions and methods against bacterial infection in livestock animals”, is directed to methods of administering probiotic bacteria to livestock animals in an amount effective to reduce the amount of hazardous bacteria found in gut-associated lymph nodes. Probiotic bacteria in an acceptable carrier are administered to the livestock at a selected time before transportation of the animal for harvest or other purposes. The invention also provides compositions comprising probiotic bacteria in an amount effective to reduce the amount of Salmonella in livestock animals, e.g., in their feces.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 20100047209, filed by Stanton, et al., entitled “Probiotic composition suitable for animals”, is directed to a probiotic composition to alleviate Salmonella infection in farm animals. The composition may comprise at least one of Lactobacillus murinus, Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus salivarius sub-species salivarius, and Pediococcus pentosaceus. The composition may be formulated as an animal feedstuff, or as a pharmaceutical composition.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 20110256116, filed by Ware, et al., entitled “Low/High Dose Probiotic Supplements And Methods Of Their Use”, is directed to methods and compositions are hereby disclosed for reducing the numbers of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella or other pathogens in an animal. The methods include administering to the animal a lactic acid producing bacterium at a relatively low dosage in combination with a lactate utilizing bacterium, followed by administration of the lactic acid producing bacterium at a relatively high dosage. The methods disclosed help achieve pre-harvest food safety and enhance feed performance while keeping the total cost relatively low. The preferred lactic acid producing bacterium is Lactobacillus acidophilus/animalis and the preferred lactate utilizing bacterium is Propionibacterium freudenreichii. 
U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,836, issued to Garner, et al., entitled, “Compositions and methods for inhibiting pathogenic growth,” is directed to methods and compositions for treating an animal to inhibit the incidence and growth of E. coli O157:H7 and other pathogenic bacteria. The method of treatment includes administering a therapeutically effective amount of Lactobacillus acidophilus or one or a combination of a number of other probiotic bacteria to an animal. An alternative treatment method comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of a lactic acid producing bacterium such as Lactobacillus acidophilus in combination with a lactate utilizing bacterium such as Propionibacterium freudenreichii. 